Policemen are being trained under changed curriculum: Home adviser

The interim government has launched a massive campaign to retrain the police force under a revised curriculum to make the main law enforcement agency a more humane force, Home Adviser retired Lieutenant General Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said.

Speaking on the government's efforts to rebuild the police force in its first six months in office, he stated that policemen were being trained under a changed curriculum, with extra focus on appropriate and expected behaviour and interactions with people in different communities.

“A massive change is being introduced in police training curriculums,” Chowdhury said.

He explained that the initiative aims to make the police a humane, pro-people, and service-oriented force, as it had earned a tyrannical image in the public’s mind due to its suppressive activities over the last 16 years.

During the past six months, Dhaka city alone witnessed 150 street protests and demonstrations by different professional groups, including public employees, teachers, and even students.

“But the police did not resort to their oppressive role to quell them in New Bangladesh,” the adviser said.

Chowdhury, however, acknowledged that the street protests caused immense suffering to commuters and city residents, leading to huge traffic jams. Yet, he said, the police handled the demonstrations with patience, refraining from using excessive force in line with government instructions.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Baharul Alam, in a recent exchange with journalists, admitted that the police had engaged in various wrongdoings over the past 16 years due to political influence.

“In the last 16 years, political influence was so pervasive that we left no misdeeds uncommitted. You know that, we all know that. We are so sorry and embarrassed for that,” he said.

Alam emphasized the need to free the police from political influence, as the force had become the subject of unbearable public hatred due to its politically motivated activities.

The police chief said he is travelling to different places and interacting with personnel of different ranks to find ways to overcome the situation.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Md Sazzad Ali recently issued a directive instructing police officials to provide the best possible services to the public under all circumstances.

“People are not our enemies, and we do not want to go against the people. We want to work together with them,” he told a DMP officials’ conference recently at the Bangladesh Police Auditorium in Rajarbagh Police Lines.

Ali added that police are holding discussions with local communities at different police stations to better understand public expectations.

In addition to efforts to create a pro-people police force, the government has launched special drives against illegal arms, contraband drugs, and hardened criminals across the country, including in border areas.

Police officials said efforts were underway to restore normalcy after the country experienced an abnormal situation for three days following the August 5 changeover.

When asked about the government's achievements in maintaining law and order over the past six months, the home adviser said that ordinary people and journalists should be the ones to answer that question.

“But you (journalists) know the situation in which the government assumed office. You can also judge better whether the situation has improved from the difficult time when we took charge,” he said.

The adviser, however, noted that law and order are now in a better state than they were six months ago, though there is still room for further improvement.